The sages taught that ten kings have ruled — or will rule — over the entire world. The list reads like a history of power itself, stretching from the beginning of time to its end. First among them was God Himself, who ruled over all creation before any human king existed.
After God came Nimrod, the mighty hunter who built the Tower of Babel and sought to challenge heaven itself. Third was Joseph, who as viceroy of Egypt controlled the world's food supply during the great famine — and with food came dominion over every nation that came to buy grain.
Solomon was the fourth, whose kingdom stretched from the Euphrates to the border of Egypt, and whose wisdom drew the rulers of the earth to his court. After Solomon came Ahab, king of Israel, whose military power made him a force to be reckoned with across the ancient Near East.
Nebuchadnezzar was the sixth, the destroyer of the Temple, the conqueror of nations, the king who dreamed of a statue representing all the empires of history. Seventh was Cyrus (though Ahasuerus ruled over half the world). Eighth was Alexander of Macedonia, who not only conquered the known world but went beyond it — traveling to the ends of the earth and weeping because there were no more worlds to conquer.
The ninth king has not yet been identified by all traditions. And the tenth will be the Messiah, who will rule over the entire world in justice and peace at the end of days. The list begins with God and ends with God's anointed — the arc of all human power bending back toward its divine source.